Barranquilla - City of Colombia

Barranquilla, an industrial, portuary, and special district, is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port on the Colombian Caribbean region and the fourth largest city of Colombia. It lies strategically by the delta of the Magdalena River, serving as port for river and maritime transportation. It is also known as the cradle of Colombian aviation and for its carnival.

The climate is hot and very humid. Nevertheless, from late November to early April, the trade winds more or less cool it to a more comfortable temperature during the day. During the evening and through the night the temperature can change due to the strong winds it receives. The rainy seasons are from April to June and from August to November, when some streets flood producing "arroyos" that can be very dangerous, given the lack of appropriate rain drainage in some sectors of town.

It is known as Colombia's Golden Gate as well as La Arenosa. While the city bears no established record of its foundation, its settlement or foundation can be traced back to at least 1629. However, its residents traditionally have come to commemorate the city's "birthday" as the date when Barranquilla was legally established as a village, April 7, 1813. By 1834 Barranquilla had a population of 11,212, which made it slightly smaller than Santa Marta and not quite half the size of Cartagena.

Barranquilla is home to a number of universities, like the Universidad del Norte, Universidad del Atlántico, the Universidad Metropolitana, the Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, the Universidad Simón Bolívar, and the Corporación Universitaria de la Costa. There are also many bilingual schools, such as Marymount School, Karl C. Parrish, Lyndon B. Johnson, Altamira International School, Deutsche Schule Barranquilla, and the British International School, generally accessible to the city's elite. Barranquilla is also home to a number of more traditional Catholic schools, like Colegio Biffi La Salle, Liceo de Cervantes, Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Gimnasio Jean Piaget del Caribe and the Jesuits' Colegio San José. Other schools include the Colegio Hebreo Unión and Presbyterian academic centers like the Colegio Americano.

Barranquilla was home to Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez during his early years as journalist and bears substantial weight on his literary production. García Márquez's old bohemian hangout, La Cueva, has been restored and is open to the public as an artsy bar. It was here that the writer met with the Grupo de Barranquilla, an informal group of local writers and journalists.

Barranquilla is lovingly known as Curramba, La Bella. Great musicians hail from Barranquilla, like international recording artist Shakira and Billboard-award winning Rock Band The Monas. Other local celebrities include Esthercita Forero, a popular composer and singer, also known as "The Bride of Barranquilla.